Most Canadian Provinces Remove US Alcohol From Stores in Response to Tariffs

A Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation store in St. John's on Feb. 3, 2025. The Canadian Press/Paul Daly

From British Columbia to Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic, most Canadian provinces have pulled U.S. liquor from store shelves.

U.S. President Donald Trump imposed 25 percent tariffs on items imported from Canada and Mexica starting on March 4, with a lower rate of 10 percent on Canadian energy imports. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has responded by announcing 25 percent retaliatory tariffs. The tariffs will be applied on $155 billion worth of U.S. goods, with $30 billion being applied immediately and $125 billion in 21 days.

Mexico says it too will respond with retaliatory tariffs.

The Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) announced it was pulling U.S. liquor products from shelves and online sales as directed by the Ontario government. The move includes non-alcoholic beverages from the United States.

“LCBO has stopped ordering U.S. products, wholesale and retail customers are no longer able to order U.S. products online and we’ve started the process of removing all U.S. products from LCBO retail stores and LCBO Convenience Outlets,” LCBO said in an email to The Epoch Times.

It said annual sales of U.S. products were up to $965 million, and that the LBCO carried more than 3,600 products from 35 U.S. states.

B.C. Premier David Eby said his province would be pulling U.S. alcohol that were from Republican states. Eby said the government would prioritize buying Canadian items first, with a focus on B.C. products.

Quebec has also announced it is removing American alcohol products from stores in response to the tariffs.

Premier Francois Legault said during a March 4 news conference that he asked the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) to stop selling all American products.

He said they already started to remove bottles from stores.

Atlantic Provinces

On the east coast, New Brunswick said it too will be removing U.S. liquor products from stores. It said it would also be working on strengthening trade with other provinces.

“New Brunswick businesses need our support now and into the future as we build a strong and sustainable economy,” said Luke Randall, minister responsible for Opportunities New Brunswick. “New Brunswick is entrepreneurial, resilient and ready to face the challenges head-on, alongside the businesses impacted by tariffs.”

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston also announced several measures in response to U.S. tariffs, including the removal of U.S. alcohol off store shelves effective March 4.

“We know this was an effective response the first time and hurt American producers who rely on Canadian markets,” Houston said. The premier was referring to his province’s response to U.S. tariffs during the first Trump administration.

Houston noted that his government has also introduced legislation that would reduce trade barriers with other provinces that do the same.

“I can tell you that we worked hard to avoid a repeat of Trump’s tax. We know tariffs are bad for people and businesses on both sides of the border,” Houston said.

Newfoundland and Labrador said it was also removing American alcohol from shelves.

“We will be removing U.S. products from Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation shelves, and reviewing and stopping immediately, where possible, procurement from the U.S.,” a March 4 statement from Premier Andrew Furey said.

He said his province would look to develop deeper connections with Europe for trading opportunities.

“And we will continue robust collaboration with industry, community, and labour organizations through our roundtable on Canada-U.S. trade relations in light of the U.S. President’s illegal actions against us,” Furey said.

PEI said it too would be removing U.S. liquor as of Tuesday from stores and the Liquor Control Commission catalogue.

“As a province, we did not ask for these tariffs, but we have been preparing for this reality,” said Premier Rob Lantz. “Our government has assessed, planned, and advocated—and now, we are taking action to protect our industries and support Island businesses through these challenges.”

Alberta Calls for Country to Unite

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew announced on social media that his province would also stop selling American liquor.

“We are taking U.S. alcohol off the shelves in Manitoba Liquor Marts,” Kinew said in a March 4 post on the X platform.

In Alberta, where alcohol is not sold in provincial stores like other provinces, Premier Danielle Smith said the country should unite. In the past, Smith had opposed premiers pulling alcohol, cautioning against any retaliatory action against the United States.

Smith said she would be meeting with her cabinet to discuss a response to the tariffs in a March 4 statement, which she posted on the X platform. Smith added she would have more to say on the tariff response on March 5.

“Now is the time for us to unite as a province and a country. We must do everything in our collective power to immediately tear down provincial trade barriers and fast-track the construction of dozens of resource projects, from pipelines to LNG facilities to critical minerals projects,” Smith said.

She also said the country needed to look to Europe to build trade ties.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said his government was also considering how to respond to the tariffs. 

“Canada’s response needs to be economically sound and reasoned,” he wrote in a March 4 post on X. 

Moe said his cabinet would be meeting on March 5 to consider options.

Trudeau has said Canada will challenge the tariffs by filing dispute resolution claims with the World Trade Organization and through the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.